Abstract: A crane-less locked axle cradle system configured to lift a rail vehicle wheel off a rail and transport the lifted wheel along a rail is presented. The present disclosure discloses a system that can lift the locked-axle wheel off the rail with no crane thereby allowing the train with a locked axle to be transported off the mainline in a shorter period of time. A cradle system can have two parts (male and female members with wedges and rail wheels) that can be mated with each other around a rail wheel. As the male and female members are pulled together, locked wheel engagers can couple with different portions of the locked-axle wheel, causing the locked-axle wheel to lift off the rail given the gradient of the wedge or rotation of the wheel. In another embodiment, the wheel lifting can be assisted by an air bag, hydraulic cylinder, jack, or other.

Abstract: Methods and systems for in-service inspection of freight car axles are provided. A camber angle of a wheel attached to a target axle is measured at one or more points in a revolution of the wheel. A determination of whether a defect is present in the target axle is made based on the measured camber angle at the one or more points in the revolution of the wheel. A determination that a defect is present in the target axle is made when a camber angle of the wheel at one or more points in the revolution of the wheel exceeds a threshold, and/or a determination that a defect is not present is made when no camber angle of the wheel at any point in the revolution of the wheel exceeds the predetermined threshold. An alert is generated in response to determining that a defect is present.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing mechanisms for automated inventory control are provided. In embodiments, an operational workflow for providing automated inventory control includes automated data collection and automated image data analysis. The automated data collection includes capturing image data for a storage facility by a capturing device (e.g., an unmanned aerial system (UAS)). The automated image data analysis includes functionality to detect objects (e.g., containers, trailers, empty slots, and/or other objects) appearing in the image data (e.g., using a machine learning (ML) model), to identify the objects in the image data (e.g., using the ML model), to inspect the objects (e.g., including determining a condition and/or location of the objects) based on the collected image data and metadata associated with the image capturing device and correlated to the image data (e.g.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a vehicle, one or more probes coupled to the vehicle, and a controller. The vehicle is operable to traverse a distance. The one or more probes are operable to measure wind pressure and generate one or more wind pressure measurements. The controller is operable to receive the one or more wind pressure measurements from the one or more probes, determine a wind angle relative to the vehicle using the one or more wind pressure measurements, and determine a wind speed relative to the vehicle using the one or more wind pressure measurements and the wind angle.

Abstract: A grounded operations facilities management system is disclosed that can facilitate communications in grounded operations facilities. Specifically, a method is provided for managing and supervising trucks as they park in truck spots to await freight deposits. Check-in instances reflecting, among other things, the actual truck spot a fleet vehicle is parked in can be retrieved by a client from a server or database in operable communication with the client, and upon instantiation and execution of several processes, the check-in instance can be updated and retrieved/served as needed throughout the system. The system can be managed and controlled via a geofence, such that fleet vehicle operators can only check-in to particular truck spots when located within the geofence.

Abstract: A system and method for virtual block operational status control with long block time delay is presented. The present disclosure can advantageously increase the capacity and safety of the existing railroad track infrastructure used by the railroads by determining whether a virtual block is healthy or unhealthy. The long block mode can provide a coarse granularity on the presence of a train. In virtual block mode, the system can implement a finer granularity so the virtual aspects of the sub blocks can be realized. The present disclosure provides a long block mode that can provide the system an opportunity to analyze the potential tradeoffs between granularity and reliability by determining which mode (virtual block or long block) is best utilized in a given situation. The system can operate by default in long block mode and ignore the virtual block capabilities until absolutely needed.

Abstract: A system and method for minimizing safety hazards along a railroad track by optimizing visual railroad inspection frequency based on acquired data relating to railroad safety maintenance. The system and method can provide various rating systems for the railroad assets to optimize railroad inspections by focusing the inspections to railroad assets experiencing suboptimal conditions. The ratings of the railroad assets are based on various data collected from physical factors impacting the life of the railroad assets, such as an amount of rainfall, locomotive weight and frequency of passing, and manually detected defects. The system and method can focus the railroad inspection efforts to the railroad assets requiring increased attention in response to the suboptimal conditions. The focused inspections can result in longer lifespan of the railroad assets, efficient inspections, and safer railroads.

Abstract: A system and method for managing data lifecycles that can provide an adaptable data management system configured to optimize the lifecycles of data and the reliability of databases. The system can provide data management systems with the ability to attach, detach, and drop segments of data based on key partitions of the data objects to optimize database utilization. By including the key partitions to the data objects, the database including the data objects can now perform data management operations based on the key partitions. The system, based on the key partitions, can identify a location of the data object to attach row entries, detach row entries from the existing tables, and delete the detached row entries from the database altogether. The system can operate on any relational database management system.

Abstract: A system and method for managing data lifecycles that can provide an adaptable data management system configured to optimize the lifecycles of data and the reliability of databases. The system can provide data management systems with the ability to attach, detach, and drop segments of data based on key partitions of the data objects to optimize database utilization. By including the key partitions to the data objects, the database including the data objects can now perform data management operations based on the key partitions. The system, based on the key partitions, can identify a location of the data object to attach row entries, detach row entries from the existing tables, and delete the detached row entries from the database altogether. The system can operate on any relational database management system.

Abstract: A system and method for managing data lifecycles that can provide an adaptable data management system configured to optimize the lifecycles of data and the reliability of databases. The system can provide data management systems with the ability to attach, detach, and drop segments of data based on key partitions of the data objects to optimize database utilization. By including the key partitions to the data objects, the database including the data objects can now perform data management operations based on the key partitions. The system, based on the key partitions, can identify a location of the data object to attach row entries, detach row entries from the existing tables, and delete the detached row entries from the database altogether. The system can operate on any relational database management system.

Abstract: A railroad infrastructure communication network is presented. The network can include a plurality of infrastructure nodes distributed proximate a railroad track, such as near railroad equipment and/or assets. Infrastructure nodes can be configured to receive data from equipment sensor and/or assets and transmit such data via the network. Infrastructure nodes can further generate alert and/or alert packets based on such received data. Infrastructure nodes can self-define in a network infrastructure depending on configured connection types, and can for example, serve as repeater nodes (to promulgate a transmission to additional infrastructure nodes) and/or collector nodes (to collect data for a centralized server node). A server node can be configured to receive data and/or packet from infrastructure nodes and generate requests for additional systems, personnel, etc. to address such requests.

Abstract: A system and method for managing data lifecycles that can provide an adaptable data management system configured to optimize the lifecycles of data and the reliability of databases. The system can provide data management systems with the ability to attach, detach, and drop segments of data based on key partitions of the data objects to optimize database utilization. By including the key partitions to the data objects, the database including the data objects can now perform data management operations based on the key partitions. The system, based on the key partitions, can identify a location of the data object to attach row entries, detach row entries from the existing tables, and delete the detached row entries from the database altogether. The system can operate on any relational database management system.

Abstract: A railroad infrastructure communication network is presented. The network can include a plurality of infrastructure nodes distributed proximate a railroad track, such as near railroad equipment and/or assets. Infrastructure nodes can be configured to receive data from equipment sensor and/or assets and transmit such data via the network. Infrastructure nodes can further generate alert and/or alert packets based on such received data. Infrastructure nodes can self-define in a network infrastructure depending on configured connection types, and can for example, serve as repeater nodes (to promulgate a transmission to additional infrastructure nodes) and/or collector nodes (to collect data for a centralized server node). A server node can be configured to receive data and/or packet from infrastructure nodes and generate requests for additional systems, personnel, etc. to address such requests.

Abstract: A system and method for automating railroad maintenance by a tie gang using electronic tie marking (ETM) configured to optimize railroad asset maintenance. The system enables collision avoidance between members of the tie gang performing maintenance on railway assets (e.g., Rails, Ties, Ballasts, Turnouts, Crossings, etc.). The system can generate production numbers for the railway assets and evaluate an asset queue for the tie gang to perform maintenance. The system can utilize real-time updates from the tie gang to optimize work output. The system can provide a customizable user interface to identify, track, and process information related to maintenance of the railroad asset. The system also provides for a heads-up-display (HUD) to notify an operator of relevant information, such as maintenance information, travel indicators, and updated asset queue. The system can identify a next location and calculate an optimum path based on sensor input incorporating machine-specific and environmental characteristics.

Abstract: A wedge driver and method therefor is presented. A wedge driver can be operably coupled to different ends of a link joiner to drive a wedge therebetween to form a single link. The wedge driver can also drive the wedge out of the link joiner. The present disclosure provides the benefit of allowing the safe and effective removal of the link joiner by preventing violent or forceful decoupling of a link joiner. The wedge driver can include a trunk, a first prong, a second prong, a bolt, and a driver. The driver can be spring enabled, such that the driver can recede into the trunk as the bolt egresses the trunk. A bolt of the wedge driver can push a driver out of the trunk to axially drive the wedge into (or out of) a link joiner without rotating the wedge.

Abstract: An intermodal facility management system for facilitating delivery, pickup, facility access, and cargo management is presented. The system can receive data from clients within proximity of one or more wireless beacons. The system can capture data from clients that ingress or egress into or out of a facility, respectively, and validate received data with the captured data. The system can enable cargo transfer optimization by forecasting client arrival times to particular destination locations, and the forecasting can account for access point delays, such as can be due to an authentication process. The system can provide a measure of redundancy in ensuring that particular cargo is being sent to proper locations, and the system can further prompt facility personnel to ensure that cargo is accessible and ready for dispatch upon arrival of any given client.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, by a defect detector module, an image of a physical object and classifying, by the defect detector module, one or more first features from the image of the physical object into one or more first classifications using one or more machine learning algorithms. The method further includes analyzing, by the defect detector module, the one or more first classifications and determining, by the defect detector module, that the physical object comprises a defect based on analyzing the one or more first classifications.

Abstract: Methods and systems for filtering a trigger signal from an encoder for triggering an image capturing device. In embodiments, a trigger signal may be received as an input signal from an encoder including a sequence of pulses for triggering the image capturing device. In embodiments, an average pulse frequency of the trigger signal over a period of time may be determined based on sampling a number of pulses in the trigger signal over the period of time, and frequency restrictions may be applied to the average pulse frequency to generate a trigger frequency. In embodiments, an output frequency may be determined based on the trigger frequency, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal having a frequency based on the output frequency may be determined for triggering the image capturing device.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium provide for intelligently managing distribution of certificates of transportations (COTs). In embodiments, an application server is configured to execute an algorithmic distribution application configured to manage distribution of available COTs based on a plurality of bid requests received from bidders. The algorithmic distribution application may not merely determine a winner of an online auction by determining a bidder that placed the largest bid, but may include functionality to intelligently determine whether all available COTs have been requested or not, and to adjust the allocation of the available COTs to the requesting bidders according to the availability of the COTs, as well as to dynamically determine a price of the allocated COTs, which may not always be a maximum bid of the winning but may be adjusted based on the allocation of the available COTs to the requested bids.

Abstract: A wedge driver and method therefor is presented. A wedge driver can be operably coupled to different ends of a link joiner to drive a wedge therebetween to form a single link. The wedge driver can also drive the wedge out of the link joiner. The present disclosure provides the benefit of allowing the safe and effective removal of the link joiner by preventing violent or forceful decoupling of a link joiner. The wedge driver can include a trunk, a first prong, a second prong, a bolt, and a driver. The driver can be spring enabled, such that the driver can recede into the trunk as the bolt egresses the trunk. A bolt of the wedge driver can push a driver out of the trunk to axially drive the wedge into (or out of) a link joiner without rotating the wedge.